Is your child a young athlete? Sport has the power to improve their psychosocial development, which refers to the emotional and social skills that your child will need both in their sport and throughout their life. Research suggests that developing this is crucial to get the best athletic performance out of your child – but it’s not just about creating the next Cristiano Ronaldo or Jessica Ennis-Hill…
Sport itself can be used to improve your child’s psychosocial development in the real world. By involving your child in sport, you are giving them the opportunity to work on skills that will help their performance, but also become the best version of themselves.
Here at InnerDrive, we’ve been looking at the role you play in your child’s psychosocial development, and why this is so important for their all-around development both inside and out of sport. We’ve also got a few tips you can use to support your child in this way and get the best out of them. So, what exactly is your role in their psychosocial development?
Why is improving your child’s psychosocial development so important?
By improving your child’s emotional and social skills, you will help them to thrive both in and out of their sport.
If you use the right strategies, you can develop your child’s 5Cs:
- Commitment
- Communication
- Concentration
- Control
- Confidence
These are valued in sport as much as they are in day-to-day life. For instance, good communication is essential in team sports because players need to be able to convey what it is they are trying to achieve during game play. They also need to be committed to the sport if they want to get the best out of it – and that goes for pretty much anything they will do in life.
There are a number of things you can do to help refine these transferable skills in your child and enhance their psychosocial development…
5 strategies to support your child’s psychosocial development in sport
One study found that certain strategies can be used to help develop your child’s 5Cs, and hence improve their psychosocial development. Here are our favourite tips from that study…
Provide feedback and encouragement
Using technology is a good way to give feedback to your child. You could do this by videoing their performance so that they can watch it afterwards and see how they did. If what they did was really good, they can look back on this success to build their confidence when things aren’t going too well.
Offering feedback is also good for improving your child’s communication – it provides something to talk about and fosters quality conversation and discussion.
You can also encourage your child by using cues during matches to help them regain their concentration. Try shouting phrases such as “keep going” or “you can do it” from the side line; this will really help them stay motivated and focused.
Outside of sport, you can provide positive affirmations and praise your child when they do things well. This will build their confidence, which often results in better performance.
Establish and share expectations with your child
This study suggests that you should encourage your child to put equal effort into their sport and their education. By doing this, you are developing their commitment, as they can recognise the importance of fulfilling both tasks and not spreading themselves thin.
Also, discussing your expectations encourages healthy communication. You could try having conversations with your child about their day during family meals – ask them what they’ve been up to at school or how they think they’re doing in their sport. Practising communication in a safe space at home, where they can make mistakes and learn, will create stronger communication outside of home when it counts.
Help your child make their own decisions
Allowing your child to take responsibility for certain things and make their own decisions is a good way to improve their psychosocial development. You could do this by making them responsible for preparing their own kit. This will help develop their commitment to the sport, which can also be applied to other aspects of their life.
Commitment can also be enhanced by encouraging your child to set their own goals, as opposed to telling them what they should be trying to achieve. Not only that, but setting goals is a good way to improve your child’s communication as they try to explain what they want to get out of their sport.
Encourage participation in activities beyond their sport
Having your child engage in activities at home is a good way to switch off from the demands of their sport and regain concentration. This practice at changing their focus will help them feel restored when their full attention is needed during competition.
Engaging in activities at school will help foster better communication skills. Schools love to encourage public speaking and leadership, all of which are important skills to have in sport and in everyday life.
It might also be a good idea to let your child explore other sports and extra-curricular activities. Finding other things that they are good at is sure to improve their confidence and could also enhance their commitment by giving them something else to devote their time to. Plus, specialising in one sport early might actually be counterproductive for later performance…
Understand the sport and the nature of the club
It is important for you to have a general understanding of the sport if you want to be capable of supporting your child’s psychosocial development.
Educate yourself on the rules of the sport, watch practices when possible, and speak with staff and coaches at your child’s club. This will enable you to give your child valuable feedback and encourage better conversation between you both.
You should also teach your extended family members about the sport and the values of the club – it might have a heavy focus on personal and sporting development rather than winning at all costs, and so talk about winning and scores could negatively affect your child’s confidence.
Final thoughts
Supporting your child’s psychosocial development is essential to making sure they reach their full potential as both an athlete and a person.
By understanding your role in this and using the tips provided, we hope that you can help your child to become the best that they can be and thrive in all that they choose to do.
